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The Movie:
There have been quite a few "Blair Witch" parodies since the original was first released. The acting in "Da Hip Hop Witch" is really as scary as anything the first one was able to unleash. This film involves a group of suburban kids who go into the city to locate the "Hip Hop Witch", who has been terrorizing rappers (we hear from many of them including Eminem and Vitamin C in short segments) all over the place for months.
The film seems like it would rather have endless segments from rappers talking about their experience with "Da Hip Hop Witch" rather than actually going for a plot. It's not too funny, either, because the film actually seems to take itself seriously. I don't mind language at all, either - but I'm suprised that the MPAA gave a film like this an R when four-letter words seem to come at a rate of one every four words.
Actually, the one funny thing about the film is Vanilla Ice, who does show up to tell the tale of how the Hip Hop Witch showed up at one of his shows. Other than that, this is probably only appealing if you're a fan of the rap stars included(the majority of the film seems to be devoted to letting them talk in their segements) or purposely looking for a bad film to goof on. Believe it (or hope not), the film actually is "to be continued...".
The DVD
VIDEO: "Da Hip Hop Witch" is presented in a full-frame version, and looks, similar to "Blair Witch" like it was shot with someone's home video camera (according to the commentary it was shot on digital video). The picture is frequently soft, but some shots in the city manage to look halfway decent. Detail is ok, but not great. Colors are fine, and actually look fairly bold in some of the scenes in the city.
There are some instances of minor pixelation, but that's about it. Other than that, this isn't bad - an above average presentation.
SOUND: The film is actually presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, which came as a surpise to me. It doesn't make much use of the surrounds, but the front speakers do present the rap soundtrack fairly well, never sounding thin. The rest of the film is essentially mono/dialogue-driven. It's a bit better than I'd expected, but still not a really impressive soundtrack.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus with film-themed art.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from the director and producer of the film. He introduces all of the rappers and gives a short history of many of them; apparently many of them wanted to act and figured this would be a good introduction. There are times when he simply talks about what's on-screen, which isn't too interesting. About the only thing that's informative here is the information about the rappers, and we learn about who's who.
Behind-the-scenes: A series of 10 of the "interview clips" with the stars that seem like extended cuts.
Trailers: Trailers for other A-Pix titles: "Razor Blade Smile", "Six Ways To Sunday", "Dance With The Devil", "The 4th Floor"
Final Thoughts: Stay away from "Da Hip Hop Witch". Not recommended.
Video:C+
Audio::B-
Extras:C+
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